The structure of an inkjet recording device, that conveys a sheet by pulling the sheet while causing the sheet to contact a suction plate, is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2009-285877). Plural suction holes for sucking the sheet are formed in the suction plate. The diameter of or the number of the suction holes is increased or the like such that, the further toward the conveying direction upstream side of the suction plate, the stronger the suction amount, and further, the stronger the suction amount of the transverse direction central portion of the suction plate. Concretely, the further toward the transverse direction central portion of the suction plate, the greater the opening diameter of the suction holes, and further, the further toward the conveying direction upstream side of the suction plate, the greater the opening diameter of the suction holes.
In an inkjet printing device, suction holes must be provided at an interval such that sufficient suction force is obtained in the transverse direction and in the sheet conveying direction of the suction plate at the time when a sheet is sucked to the suction plate.
Such a suction plate is used also within a drying section that dries ink that has been ejected-out onto a sheet. For example, when the suction plate disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP-A No. 2009-285877) is provided in a drying section, there is the possibility that the dried state of the sheet will differ at regions of the sheet that pass by the suction holes and regions that do not pass by the suction holes, and that non-uniform drying will occur. Therefore, at the time when a sheet is conveyed while contacting the suction plate, due to dispersion arising in the cumulative passage times at the portions of the suction plate where the suction holes are formed and the portions where the suction holes are not formed, there is the possibility that differences will arise in the temperature distribution at the time of drying the sheet, and that non-uniformity of the image due to non-uniform drying will arise.
In consideration of the above-described circumstances, a topic of the present invention is the providing of an image forming device that can reduce the occurrence of dispersion in cumulative passage times of a recording medium at portions on a suction plate where suction holes are formed and portions where suction holes are not formed.